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Teacher Education

Notes the best possible manner, so as to achieve and promote excellence.
In this context, DIETs will also have a very important pace setting role to play. They will be
expected to become models for other educational institutions in the district in terms of meticulous,
efficient and effective planning and execution of functions, harmonious and creative organizational
climate, maintenance of a clean and attractive campus etc.

10.6.1 Child Centred Approach
The child centered approach is the best motivation for the child to attend school and learn. A child-
centred and activity-based process of learning should be adopted at the primary stage…"
The POA states that "by making Elementary Education child-centred, we would be introducing a
long-awaited reform in the system. The most important aspect of this reform will be to make
education a joyful, innovative and satisfying learning activity, rather than a system of role and
cheerless, authoritarian instruction".
This basic approach would imbue the transaction of all programmes in a DIET. Some of the
implications of this would be as follows:
• Programmes will be need based. Even within group of trainees/participants, individual
differences and needs will be identified and catered to.
• Trainees will be enabled to experiment, discover, learn, practice and innovate for themselves,
rather than being lectured to. Learning activities will be suitably organised, in individual and
group modes.
• Maximum possible use will be made of the local environment in the learning process. Curricula
and learning activities will be suitably related to it.
• Good work done by trainees will be duly recognised, encouraged, displayed and publicized.
• The DIET will itself adopt the attitude of a "life-long learner" rather than that of an oracle or
know-all. It would receive as much from the 'field' as it would endeavor to give to it. The
district will serve as the 'school' for its learning experiences, while it may carve out one or two
special areas as its 'lab areas'.

10.6.2 Special Target Groups
"The concept a National System of Education implies that, up to a given level, all students, irrespective
of caste, creed, location, have access to education of a comparable quality: says the NPE. It goes on
to say "to promote equality, it will be necessary to provide for equal opportunity to all not only in
access, but also in the condition for success". This is quite the essence of the universalisation task,
and means that needs of educationally disadvantaged groups would have to be given maximum
attention. The largest such groups are: -
(i) Girls and women
(ii) Scheduled castes and Scheduled tribes
(iii) Minorities
(iv) The handicapped, and
(v) Other educationally disadvantaged groups e.g. working children, slum-dwellers, inhabitants
of hilly, desert and other inaccessible areas, etc.
It follows that DIETs also, in all aspect of their work, would have to give primary attention to
promotion of education of the above groups.

10.7 Functions of a DIET
The functions of DIET are as follows:
(1) Training and orientation of the following target groups:-
(i) Elementary school teachers (both pre-service and in-service education).
(ii) Head Master, Heads of School Complexes and officers of Education Department up to Block
level.

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